Discover Liguria

For those looking to buy a property in Liguria, Liguria really is a zone of exploration, Liguria is to discover!, lying between the better known South of France to its West and Tuscany to the East.

It is a zone where the mountains rise up from the sea, offering dramatic panoramic views of the sea even 10 km away from the coast. If you are looking for a country house in Italy, this could be ideal, because buying a property in Liguria offers the possibility of complete tranquility in a country location with stunning sea views.

Liguria is special mainly because of our perfect winter climate, infact the towns of Sanremo and Bordighera became famous from the Eighteenth Century as resorts to spend the winter, away from the winter cold of the rest of Europe. If you are looking for an Italian property for sale, it is worth bearing in mind that the Italians know Liguria as the region with one of the best winter climates.

The months of January and February are marked by clear blue skies, it is our driest season and infact the postcard pictures are all taken in winter, because of this deep blue colour of the sea and sky. Liguria is a place of natural light, with many hours of sunshine and if you buy a property in Liguria, one of the main things that you will soon find it hard to live without, is the sunshine and light. This was, and is still a zone where artists and painters have always lived because of the quality of the light as well as ofcourse the natural beauty of the landscapes.

The reason for this special microclimate is ofcourse the high mountain configuration which protects the coast from rainfall which passes in the high mountains behind. For those who are looking for an Italian property for sale, but are afraid that the summer weather will be too hot, property in Liguria is again ideal, temperatures rarely rise beyond 30 degrees, unlike our neighbouring Tuscany which is marked by summer temperatures in the high 40's.

Property in Liguiria is usually chosen by our clients,because of the ease with which they can travel. Our closeness to the French border means that the best airport from which to reach your property in Liguria is Nice Airport, only 45 minutes drive from say Sanremo, or from Latte (On the border) 25 minutes.

From Nice, flights to England take one hour and 45 minutes, alternatively the direct flight Nice to Dubai is 6 hours and Moscow only 3 hours distance by direct flight. Equally for those looking at an Italian property for sale, the small Airport of Genova, is quick, easy and low cost for travel.

This means property in Liguria is really the top for those who like the commodity of quick flights and a small airport which is quick to come in and out of.

The decision to buy a property in Liguria is often a question of lifestyle, sunshine, fine food and beautiful beaches, Liguria has got it all. You can be shopping in Montecarlo in the morning, only half an hour's drive and back to your property in Liguria for lunch by the pool. Those who buy a luxury villa Liguria, can have many ways to fill their time, the towns of Liguria, frequented from the past by Europe's royalty and aristocracy offer shopping and nightlife, such as a night at the glittering Casino of Sanremo or closeby Montecarlo. Portofino and Santa Marguerita, have become synonomous with fine lifestyle, luxury and glamour. The search for a luxury property Liguria will usually start here.

Coastal Liguria projects the image of hedonistic living, luxury villas lined with palm trees and long expansive sand beaches filled with private beach clubs. Outside the towns, there are many tiny rocky beaches marked by their crystalline water in shades of turquoise, similar to Greece. If you are looking for a property in Liguria which offers you this type of wild rocky beach then the zone past Ventimiglia to the frontier probally offers the best. I believe that when clients are looking for an Italian property for sale, that they will often choose a property in Liguria for the quality of life, which it is hard to beat. 

Property in Liguria also offers the possibility in winter, to be on the ski slopes within an hours drive, the luxurious ski resort of Limone is directly behind Ventimiglia and from its pretty old wooden chalet ski resort, good skiing is available on its south facing slopes, with ofcourse the maximum of sunshine.

Equally pleasurable at the beautiful Colle Lanagan above the mountain spa resort of Pigna, where the reservoir is a shimmering stunning solid ice lake in winter, you can go cross country skiing through the silent pine forests, followed ofcourse by a heavy lunch in the Ligurian tradition.

Really it's the best of both worlds. If you are looking for a country house Italy, a property in Liguria could be perfect, the hinterland of Liguria is dramatic, full of beautiful medieval villages nestling in the mountains. Here the pace of life slows, the countryside is covered with olive groves, deep valleys and fast running streams. Noted for its finesse and delicacy the extra virgin olive of Liguria , now recognised by the denomination of protected origin (dop), the olive grove dominates the peasant traditions and the landscape of Liguria .

The terraced groves seem carved into the mountain landscape here days can be passed following the olive oil trails or old roads which allowed the precious oil to be brought down to the coast. These roads are marked in the region by the sign “ Strada dell'Olio, Terra della Taggiasca” for the small black olives of exceptional finesse, of which the majority of olives in this region are of this quality, known by the Benedictine monks since the 12th century. As you can see many of the local dishes are cooked with the local porcini mushrooms, which are picked in secret locations in the surrounding mountains. These mushrooms have been the object of the occasional firing of gunshots, between competing peasants who search for booty, particularly higher up where the French and Italian mountains have a common frontier. 

If you want to buy a country house Italy or a luxury villa Liguria, the beauty of nature could be a deciding factor. Walking in the mountains scores of butterflies, roam from flower to flower and then fly over your head. Hawks and eagles are a common sight. At night the woods and mountain villages are illuminated by hundreds of lucciole (fireflies) and eating out in the mountain restaurants in the evening it can be that you will see a libellule, which is a dragonfly by definition, but infact seems like and enormous butterfly.

For those who buy a property in Liguria, one of the best kept secrets is the location of the laghetti, or mountain lakes, actually large and deep granite pools cut into the mountain streams by the force of the mountain water. After weeks of sunshine and beach, these are the ideal summer alternative, to cool off in the mountain water and then sunbathe on the granite rocks. The mountain walks of Alpine Liguria are justly famous, a high mountain route can be followed from the French border to La Spezia, this is the Alta Via dei Monti Liguri, the main long walk in Liguria passing an infinity of monuments from the past, mountain lakes and with spectacular wildlife and mountain views.

More famous ofcourse is the classic Cinque Terre coast walk which leads from La Spezia to Portofino. No description of mountain walks is complete without mention of the 4 hour walk to the Vallee delle Meraviglie, where there are over 40,000 inscriptions in the rock dating from the Bronze Age, this is thought to be the high mountain sanctuary of the prehistoric Liguria. 

If you want to buy a country house in Italy or a luxury villa

the food?. Food in Liguria is marked by the lightness and simplicity of its preparation. Already Ligurian olive oil is far lighter than oil grown in a hotter climate, it is sold in Harrods as the best oil to eat with a salad. This combination, added to freshly caught fish, such as the fine large Sanremo Prawn (to buy fresh as the boats come in after 8.00 am in the morning at (for example on the quay at the Old Fishing Port of Sanremo), is combined with fresh herbs and fresh vegetables such as the mountain bietole or wild spinach.

No holiday to visit a property in Liguria is complete without the magnificent Sunday lunch in a mountain restaurant. The tradition allows for a set menu of atleast 6/8 different antipasta, 2 different types of pasta and a choice of 3 main courses. Last comes the pudding, most wonderful are the small freshly baked doughnuts served with hot Zabaglione. This is a meal of some 3 to 4 hours, with all the wine you can drink, normally the local Rossesse di Dolceacqua or light fruity Vermentino from Albenga.

 For anyone who is looking to buy an Italian property for sale one of the most important questions when considering buying a property in Liguria is always how is the combination of the antique and modern. The history of Liguria is really important, because Liguria was a zone under siege throughout history and a passing point, between Italy and France, through which armies, pirates, marauding Saracens and Genovese tax collectors passed, the population of Liguria always huddled together for self protection. The old towns are always built on a hilltop, to watch over the sea.

If you are looking for a country house in Italy, the property in Liguria which you will find can be antique in the towns and villages but it is rare or impossible to find a grand antique villa secluded in the countryside, the past was too violent to allow this. This is similiar to the South of France which up to Antibes, was part of Liguria until the Italian Unification of 1870. The really grand period villas are usually built up on the hill above the towns, which is where the luxury villa Liguria is to be found, because already before the turn of the century the railway line ran (squashed by the mountains) along the coast, (in places this is now underground).

If you are looking for an Italian property for sale, Liguria offers a wealth of history and art both in its antique villages, Monet painted the beauty of antique Bordighera and Dolceacqua and in it's cities, Genova has the longest remaining intact renaissance street remaining in Europe. The Via Garibaldi is inscribed in the list of Unesco world heritage sites and its ancient palaces now museums were described in the travel books of Charles Dickens. 

Most important when buying a property in Liguria 

For anyone looking for an Italian property for sale it is crucial to remember that buying a property in Liguria is a voyage of discovery, a place to escape and find a fantastic world of nature undestroyed in history and unknown to international tourism. Discover Liguria, beyond imagination!